Passion for the Poor
by julius uy
Summary: A five part series of God's Ultimate Plan for us to Help the poor. Poor in Money, Poor in Love, and Poor in Spirit.
1. A Struggle to Live

_Concern for those most in need springs from a decision to love the poor in a special manner... In loving the poor, we imitate the attitude of the Lord, who during his earthly life devoted himself with special compassion to those in spiritual and material need._

_-Pope John Paul II. Rome, 1999._

_Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people._

_-Galatians 6:10_

Smokey Mountain is probably the most popular dumpsite in the country. Being a poor-dominated entity in the world, it wouldn't surprise us with the number of scavengers busting their ways in the stench to draw some "Food" to fill their stomach.

Once I haven't really eaten both dinner and breakfast (the next day). I felt really really weak. I felt so hungry that I think I could eat a meal that can be shared by two. About the same time last year, I watched a news magazine from GMA about the lives of the poor living in Smokey Mountain. The documentary set forth a sight that revealed so many families living on a dollar a day income (41Php). I saw a family of six sharing a can of sardines and two cups of rice for their lunch... It is in fact their only meal for the day. No food nor water for breakfast and dinner.

How can life get any worse than that?

In one instance the reporter interviewed a weeping father... "Bakit po kayo umiiyak? (why are you crying)" asked the reporter. "Naaawa lang ako sa pamilya ko. Wala pa silang nakakain magmula kahapon (I pity my family. They haven't eaten anything since yesterday)." Answered the father. "Hindi ko na nga alam ano gagawin ko eh (I just don't know what to do anymore)." He added.

Each day of their lives they had to climb the stinking pile of trash, putting their health on the line in exchange for life. Hoping they could find "Food" from our leftovers and rejects. This is the kind of life they had. At a time in their lives, when God finds that the time has come for Him to bring these people to His place, He would relieve them from pain... either death by illness, or death by hunger.

It's pretty saddening that we, who had a good taste of life, fail to see the world in the eyes of the poor. We craved gadgets, perfumes, make-ups, clothes and all other expensive vices because we had more than enough to survive. We had more than enough to survive that we can shed a handful of cash for our beautification. These people, on the other hand, had to fight for survival everyday to keep them alive... have we really thought of them as brothers? Are we actually "doing something" to help those who needs us, or are we simply "Managing" to live with it?

When I was reading this quote by the late Pope earlier today, I really felt the blessing I had now in my life. I find that everything is a blessing from God if we try to see these things in His eyes. He gave us the poor so that we will have an opportunity to do good. The poor is God's gift to us... Just that it is up to us to make good use of this gift.

In my stay here in Minneapolis, I think the best use I had with my 100 dollar bill, was when I donated it to the Basilica of St. Mary. It was a large amount of money... I'll be honest that I think(ed) twice before I actually slipped it inside the envelope (I took a picture of it).

But then I realized that the poor needs it more than I do. I think that was the opportunity God gave me to do good to others. that $100 I donated could essentially feed a family who lives in a dollar a day budget a hundred days already.

When I sell raffle tickets in the office/school, it is never for my sake. I do this in the effort to feed the hungry. I could spend my money to buy all the tickets, but in all honesty, I wanted to give my friends the opportunity to do good. To make them feel that because of them, they are able to serve a meal for the hungry.

_There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land._

_-Deuteronomy 15:11_

I believe that you will definitely find that pleasure in your life if you knew that because of you, a life has been saved. How great is it to have someone say to you: "Thank you... thank you for saving my life?" It's Priceless. In your small contribution to your brothers, you actually have become a Hero!

It is a collective effort to share our blessing to one another. By sharing your blessings, you open room so that you can receive greater blessings.

I think there is no greater feeling than when you reunite with Jesus in heaven, he would run to you and wrap his arms around you saying, "Thank you... for feeding my children."

"Thank you, for feeding me when I needed something to eat."

_Whatever you did for one of the least of your brothers, you do it to Jesus._

_-Matthew 25:40_

Grace and Peace be with you.

AMEN!


	2. Love Beyond Love

_Love your families. Teach them the dignity of all life; teach them the ways of harmony and peace; teach them the value of faith and prayer and goodness! Help transform the world around you by giving the best of yourselves in the service of others and your country._

_-Pope John Paul II. Jordan, 2000._

_Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with goodness._

_-Romans 12:21_

Love is one thing that makes a billion dollar flushed like rubbish. Money cannot purchase what love can do. In fact when Jesus died for our sins, he did not spend a single penny in exchange for our salvation. He let himself be mocked, flogged, and killed… Jesus allowed all these things to happen so that we may know that the love he has for us is so great that we are worth more than his life! That we are worth dying for! Do you know any theology in the world that has the love of a God who can bear to see His son mutilated by man so that we can be justified through faith? Surely, our God is God of all.

Kindness is the language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear.

Life has its greatness and gore. We all have our own share of ups and downs in life. We suffer different trials and receive different blessings. Still, we are human beings just like any other. When we put them all together, are we not a family? Brothers and sisters in the eyes of God?

Seeing the world in the eyes of God is not easy. Perhaps in our sight we may see the world as an ocean of God's wrath. But on the other hand, if you try to look it in a way that man can't see, you will realize that behind every trial, there is a living God who is reaching out so that you can find Him.

True enough, 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. God looks at what is beyond that appearance. It is for this matter that if we truly wanted to see the world in the eyes of God, we should take a step further and try to see beyond. To see not with the eyes but with the heart. For it is only by our heart can we see things that eyes cannot see.

Many of our brothers thirst for love. Being poor do not only constitute monetary poverty, but beyond that may be a poverty in love…. Some may be repressive about it. Yet when you try to look closely, when you try to observe them beyond what eyes can see, you will realize the burden they had in their lives. It is definitely true that eyes can be deceiving. For not all laughter and smiles are products of joy.

Do you have friends whom you think needed you the most? Or do you think you have friends that you think will find peace in you if only you come to them? We can take a step further and go beyond friends. Even strangers may find peace in us. Truly, if you see the world in the eyes of God, you will realize that every person you meet in the streets, every person whom you know and you do not know are not strangers, but our brothers and sisters. In fact, we need each other. You are God's gift to me so that I can do a lot of good things to you. Similarly, I am God's gift to you, so that you can do a lot of good things for me. It is only up to us whether or not we will make good use of that gift.

You don't need a reason to help someone other than genuine love. When you start reasoning, you repress your acts for a reason on a case to case basis such that if it doesn't exist, you will become selfish. How then can you say that you love Jesus, if you do not love one another... as he has commanded?

Do not wait for those who need you to call your name. Go to them. Show your presence. Make them feel that someone loves them. That everything will be alright as long as you are together. As long as God is with you. Remind them that this world is not a world of death and destruction but a world where a repressed love can surface... where love can beat all odds and stand out... in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

_I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last_

_-John 15:16_

God chose us to be born in this world for a purpose... and that purpose is to bear fruit. A lasting fruit that will remind the world of God's love... that in a human being, a love can manifest beyond what man is capable of showing. Because it is God's love that shines upon those who loved others as Jesus has loved us.

_Out of all nations you will be my treasured possession_

_-Exodus 19:5_

Let us tell the world of God's love. Let it be known to our family, friends, relatives, brothers and sisters, and to the ends of the world. We are in fact, His own image because he treasured us. It is our duty to preserve that image... to live up to it. God is love. Therefore, we are love!

Grace and Peace be with you.

AMEN!

God bless,

july


	3. Lasting Faith

_My faith, like the faith of each one of you, is not just my doing, my attachment to the truth of Christ and the Church. It is essentially and primarily the work of the Holy Spirit, a gift of his grace. The Lord gives us his Spirit to help us say 'I believe,' and then he sends us out to bear witness to him._

_-Pope John Paul II. Rome 2000_

Our attachment to God is like a candle. Other people can light it up as many times as the wick can hold. If none of us will blow away the light, surely at a point in timethe candle will melt... just as our faith.

Therefore, we must not rest our faithonly in what the world tells you. For we may not always know when the world will speak against you. Beyond the voice of the world is the voice of God. While we are unsure when the world will be against us, we can certainly be sure that God is always for us. God sent Jesus to us so that in him, God can demonstrate that He is for us, not against us. Jesus loved the world that even in his departure, he left a lasting legacy to us so that in times of need, we can grip unto something that will lead us to his light. 2000 years ago, that something is known as the Spirit of truth. Today, we call it conscience.

_I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you._

_-John 14:16-17_

We all have the spirit of truth in us. Onethat tells us what is good and what is otherwise. It is in fact our counselor. Conscience is thetruth that makes each one of us a witness of God's existence because it is that one thing that both believers and unbelievers have in common that no man can take away. The existence of conscience at this day and age is what reminds us of the lasting legacy Jesus has for us... and that by its mere existence, we can prove the existence of TheFather and the Son. Satan can keep us from loving God. Satan can draw our faith against God. But the one thing he can never ever steal is the spirit of truth that lives in us.

When the fire of this world starts to corrupt our faith,let us always remember that...

_The grace of Godteaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age_

_-Titus 2:12_

How many times are we led astray by the voice of the world? When God sends your brothers to you to remind you of His love, how do we respond to it?

Just as we give gifts to the poor, God also gives gifts to the poor in faith, by encouraging their brothers toremind them of God's love. Faith is God's gift to man. Like all other gifts, it is always up to us on what we are going to do with it. Have you seen beggars throwing away the money you gave them? Sadly, many of our brothers think of God's gift as something they could throw away.

The poor will always be poor until they dare to be rich. None of us will ever have the purity of faith, until we decide to grab that faith and live by it. All our lives we will face many temptations to pull us away from the love of God. We always have our conscience to fight against it. But ultimately, there is no one except us to decide the winner.

As we walk in the path God shaped for us, He will introduce us to our brothers who are weak in faith. When they fall, be the first to pull them up. Are you going to give yourself a chance to regret what you should have done that you didn't do?As Jesus lived his life to have make Hiscompassion known to us, who at some point in our lives were poor in faith... we also, are to live the same way Jesus did: Living a life with compassion to the poor. Not only in love, not only in money... but also in faith.

_Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. __**  
**_**_And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age_**

_Matthew 28:19-20_

Do not be afraid to be the first to bring your neighbors back to God. For it is by the great commission of Christ that we who love him will set forth on a life long journey to put faith into the hearts of our brothers and sisters... Jesus will always be with us. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of!

Grace and Peace be with you.

AMEN!


	4. Selfishness

_Jesus teaches us to see the Father's hand in the beauty of the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, the starry night, fields ripe for the harvest, the faces of the children and the needs of the poor and humble. If you look at t he world with a pure heart, you too will see the face of God._

_-Pope John Paul II. Denver, 1993._

_Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God._

_Matthew 5:8_

A young father treated his four-year-old daughter to lunch at McDonald's--aspecial time with just dad, his girl, and Ronald. As thelittle girl sat eating her Happy Meal, her dad reached over and grabbed a french fry. Special time or not, the daughter simplly moved away his hand, encircled the meal with her arm, and said, "Dad, you can't have one. Those aren't your fries. They're mine."

Of course, the dad had driven her to McDonald's, ordered the meal and paid for the fries. So really, whose fries were they?

Perhaps God has similar thoughts toward us when we beocme possessive. We push him aay, throw our arms around our possessions and say, "This stuff is mine!" Yet really, whose stuff is it?

God doesn't need your money. He wants what your money represents. He wants your heart. Don't build a barricade around your possessions to keep God out.

How hard is our hearts that all the days in our lives we will choose to be selfish? Can you not grab a single coin from your pocket and give it to the poor every day? Can you not live a day without having fun at the expense of others? Can you not live a day thanking Jesus for all the blessings you received?

Selfishness climbs its way to triumph when we begin to say no to the opportunities God gives us to help others. That's just what Satan wants you to do. To believe that all the things you have in life is yours... that there is no reason to help your brothers. That it is okay to live all the days of your life insulting your neighbor.

_God has given us two hands--one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing. If we fail to fulfill this divine duty and privilege, we have missed the meaning of Christianity._

_-Billy Graham._

We always have the opportunity to help others. The only question is... are we going to grab that opportunity?

One day, each man will realize that beyond all the worldly things and stuffs we will ever have or we ever had in our lives, not one of us will find genuine happiness until we discover Jesus in our lives here on Earth. If we live a life where our love of Jesus is genuine, selfishness is one thing we will never be blamed for.

He who loves his brothers and sisters loves Jesus . He who does not love his brothers and sisters does not love Jesus.

_Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves._

_-Philippians 2:3_

One may never find the fulfillment he always wanted untilhe starts sharing his blessings to his brothers. It is by thiking of others more and thinking of yourself less that we become like Jesus. Blessings are given to us so we can share them to others. If we want to make room for more blessings, we should share what we have now to others. Jesus loved us more than himself... and thanks to that he said to the world, "Yah ok. If my life can redeem the world of its sins, then I'll gladly give it to the world. So that they may know that the love I have for them has no equal."

_For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice._

_-James 3:16_

Therefore, I encourage you my dear brothers and sisters, whenever you have the chance to do good to others, never think twice. Give it a shot. No selfish man can live his life having the people around him wear a smile each time they meet him. It is otherwise, through generosity... that one man can earn laughter beyond self. Laughter of the heart, and not of the mouth.

If only man can see the world through the eyes of God, then we will know that everything around us is a blessing from Him.

Grace and Peace be With You

AMEN!


	5. Decision

_It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an idea, ... the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and soceity, making the world more human and more fraternal._

_Pope John Paul II. Rome, 2000._

I have never really submerged myself into the Lasallian prayer until finally one day I woke up and saw its power.

"I will continue Oh my God, to do all my actions for the love of you."

For six years I pray this prayer just to complete my day. Yet, I never really had the chance to draw its purpose beyond what was written and memorized. So then I began to ask myself, six years I told God that I will continue to do all my actions for His love... but am I really doing it? Each time I talk trash against somebody, each time I walk past a beggar who needed my help, each time I do something bad to others, am I really doing it becauseI love God?

Christian or not, it is always the gift of conscience that draws the line between what is good and what isotherwise.Many times man fall to sin.How long then, are we going to live up with the excuse: "I am human, therefore I sin?" Bystaunchly believing in it, we fail to realize that there is something greater worth believing... "I love God, therefore I will not sin."

Will we ever have a Passion for the Poor? Are we worthy of reuniting with God in heaven?

Is it really worth disowning God? Is it really worth pushingHimaway just to satisfy our temporary joy? Is temporaryjoy greater than eternal blessing?In what ways by doing evil can you extend your life?In what ways by doingevil can youfind peace? In what ways by doing evil can people continue to love you?

For whatprofit is it for a man who gains the world, yet loseshis soul? Or what can a man do in exchange for his soul?

-Matthew 16:26

God has made us in His own image. God is love. Therefore we are love! Jesus died for us because we are worth dying for. Are we going to miss that opportunity to be reunited with God amidst our justification through the death of Christ? Can we not live our lives resisting sin each time it comes as we resist murder, or robbery, or adultery? If we can resist such grave sins, surely, we can resist the lesser temptations!

It is because of His love for us who have fallen short in His glory, that all of us are justified through faith. As long as we remain in Him, he will remain in us. Love Him, and we too will be loved in multiples of what we have for Him.

Light separates itself from the darkness. Never can light and darkness co-exist. When you light a candle in the dark, can darkness go into where the light sits without putting out the fire? No!

We always have the option to choose one over the other.

_If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the cast idols, or Satan. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD_

_Joshua 24:15_

Heaven or Hell. To believeor otherwise. Good or bad. It's a choice we all can make. But ultimately, we may want to ask ourselves, how can people find Joy in something beyond money? How can people find joy beyond all our riches in the world? Is it not because indeed there is something greater than all the riches in the world? Is it not because one has Jesus inthat he can find the fullness of life in him?

_You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me_

_-John 12:8_

We'll always have the chance to help the poor.But ultimately, whether you will help them or not is your decision. Whether you will Believe is your decision. Whether you will do good or bad is your decision.

Inall the things that we had from day 1 to day 5, I truly hope you learn something.I pray that my effort will not simply be thrown away to the trash. Each and every time we are given the opportunity to do good, I hope we choose to do good.

The Only Thing Necessary For Evil To Triumph Is For Good Men to Do Nothing.

_Luke 11:2-4 - The Lord's Prayer_

Our Father which art in heaven,  
Hallowed be thy name.  
Thy kingdom come.  
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins;  
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.  
And lead us not into temptation;  
but deliver us from evil.

AMEN!

Once I was asked, what is my purpose in life? We were conceived in the world because God has a purpose for each of us. I may not know specifically what your purpose is, for I am not God. However, what I can tell you is that each purpose share a common root... and that is written in John 13:34

**Love****one****another**

Take time to sow, and bear a good fruit. Bear a good fruit that you may have a lasting legacy. That people who will live after you may remember all the good things you did for them... and that may you serve as an inspiration for the generations to come. Life has a purpose. It always begins with Love.

Perhaps it is now the time to ask ourselves:

Will I start living my life with the purpose God shaped for me?

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to when all glory belongs, both now and forever.

2 Peter 3:18


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